The Pressed Plant [Hardcover]

Andrea DiNoto (Author), David Winter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 18, 1999

This book examines artwork created through the preservation of plants.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

GRASS, FLOWER, SEAWEED, LEAF-every plant is a perfect form. When pressed to paper, its perfection is dramatically captured and revealed-as a work of nature, but with a kinship to art.

"The Pressed Plant" is the fist book to demonstrate this aesthetic phenomenon through hundreds of stunning illustrations that date from the eighteenth to the twentieth century, most of which have never before been published.

Part one, The Plant Collected, shows real plants of astonishing beauty that have been collected, pressed, and mounted by botanists or by amateurs, as single sheets or bound into books called herbaria. The anecdotal text relates the intriguing and romantic story of plant collections as a hazardous natural science in uncharted territories, as a genteel Victorian pastime, and as the serious pursuit of a remarkable group of nineteenth-century women botanists.

Part Two, The Plant's Impression, shows and describes rare and classic examples of both nature prints, in which the plant is inked, pressed, and printed, and sun pictures, produced when a plant is placed on light-sensitive paper and exposed to the sun. An Afterward looks at how botanical materials are used in unusual works by leading contemporary artists, while detailed appendices describe methods of botanical specimen collecting and mounting, materials and suppliers, and botanical institutions and museums worldwide.

"The Pressed Plant" presents a fascinating view of the natural world, beautifully preserved.

About the Author

Andrea DiNoto is a well-known writer on design and collecting. Formerly a contributing editor for Connoisseur magazine, she is the author of several books and articles on art and antiques.

David Winter began his career as a sculptor. He is now the owner of Winter Works on Paper, a private New York gallery specializing in art photography, original prints, botanical specimens, and nature prints.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (October 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556709366
• ISBN-13: 978-1556709364
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #901,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written book that includes beautiful illustrations., November 14, 1999

By 

Maria (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pressed Plant (Hardcover)

This book is excellent for the new plant collector. The writer takes you through the history of the pressed plant with well written summaries, comments, illustrations, and a wonderful "how to" section. Anyone interested in plant collecting (pressing and dried), should take a look at this beautiful book.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous detail for pressing plants! Buy two!, July 11, 2000

By 

"iloveprovence" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pressed Plant (Hardcover)

For years I searched for a book that would direct me through the process of pressing ferns and other plants. This is it! This exquisite book is a treasure! The author shows the nature lover how to complete the process of preserving plants, just as the Victorians did. However, this wonderful hobby did not originate with the Victorians, they just renewed it with avid inspiration and volumes of renditons and renderings. This book takes the reader through the history of plant preservation, and shows the eager "artist" three different techniques for display: using the real thing, printing with paints and inks, and sun printing. This book is so wonderful, you may want to have two. The numerous copies of original and rare prints are so gorgeous, you may need an extra volume to "cheat" with: you know remove from the volume and, voila, inexpensive yet exquisite art!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very impressive, clearly written, beautifully illustrated!, February 22, 2001

By 

Linda C. Franklin (Baltimore, MD, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pressed Plant (Hardcover)

As an avid fan of leaves and wildflowers, with not a few pressed examples stuck in books and files, I was glad to find a book that celebrates all kinds of pressed plants, from ferns to seaweeds (!), as art. There's an amazing fossilized impression of a prehistoric plant, photos of Victorian botanists' carefully pressed samples, and sun prints done with photographic paper over a century ago. Plus a few modern artists' examples. This book proves that Mother Nature has been one of the best artists all along, and that we humans can have a sort of artistic partnership by preserving botanical specimens in one way or another. The wide array of images is mouth-watering; and the book can be used as a sort of tasting party to get you started on a new collection, or, using the how-to at the back of the book, a new hobby or art.